Posts from 2018-03

If you think your child needs dental braces to straighten his/her teeth, it is a good idea to have him/her evaluated by an orthodontist. According to Alan Carr, DMD, the ideal age for an orthodontic evaluation is 7. Whether or not to wear braces is a matter to be decided by the orthodontist, depending on the cause and severity of the misaligned teeth.

Generally, treatment for misaligned teeth involves dental braces. This treatment begins only when the child has lost the majority of his/her primary teeth and his adult teeth have started to grow in. Usually, this happens between ages 8 and 14, where most of the child's adult teeth have settled but are crooked. The use of dental braces may be appealing since this can address several dental issues such as overbite or underbite.

However, some orthodontists may recommend the use of dental appliances, not necessarily dental braces, for children who still have most of their baby teeth. Only after the baby teeth, or most of them, have fallen out will the orthodontist start the second phase of the treatment — using dental braces.

The two-phase treatment method will necessarily entail more time and expense. However, if initial treatment or prior orthodontic evaluation was made, the second phase will be shorter.

Depending on the severity of the dental problems, the prerogative generally rests upon the orthodontist. However, if you feel having dental braces would be the best choice for you and your kid, consult and share your thoughts with your orthodontist.

The advent of 3-D technology now makes possible the taking of teeth impressions without the inconvenience and time-consuming process of extracting a tooth mold from the patient.

A new hand-held scanner allows the dentist to take dental impressions of the patient's teeth by quickly scanning the inside of the mouth. The digital images captured are displayed on a screen while the patient is still in the chair, allowing the dentist to make any adjustments before the impressions are sent to the lab for fitting of a crown (visible part of the teeth) or a bridge. This eliminates the need for molding, allowing for a mess-free, precise fitting as swiftly as 10 minutes.

Inserting a soft goo into the patient's mouth and letting it harden there before being extracted can be unpleasant for the patient. Inaccuracy of the impression often results in refitting or redoing of the implants, causing more time spent in the dentist's chair and more discomfort for the patient.

The 3-D CT scan is now also used to complete a dental implant in a single surgery. It used to take 6 months before the crown is placed on top of the implant to allow the jaw bone, where it is fixed, to heal. One-day implant has become possible with the surfaces of the implants being modified to enhance their rate of fixation to the bone.

The unique perspective provided by imaging enables dentists to plan and carry out restorations all in one day. Using the 3-D model of the patient's mouth, dentists are able to immediately locate the exact spot in the mouth to place the implant.

Some 50 million dental patients in the U.S. require crowns and bridges each year